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FAVOUR PROMISED TO THE OBEDIENT.

[CH.

and all their dealings towards God and their fellow

creatures.

You cannot fail to have remarked how peculiarly favoured by Heaven the whole nation of the Israelites had been, ever since the time Abraham in obedience to God's. command had quitted his own country to settle in the land of Canaan. Without being called upon to fulfil any duties beyond the rest of mankind,-without any peculiar laws laid down for their observance, they had ever been the objects of God's especial favour. This state of things however, was to continue no longer, and for the first time, the Israelites were now, (by a direct communication from God himself,) informed, that if they hoped for the continuance of His protection and support, they must on their part obey His laws, and fulfil His commandments. "If "thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and "wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will bring none of these diseases on thee, "which I have brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the "Lord that healeth thee.'

وو

This verse is one to which I would more particularly wish to call your attention, for though it is peculiarly addressed to the Israelites, yet it is no less applicable to ourselves; as I said above we have all our respective duties to perform, and if we neglect them we can no more expect God's blessing and protection than the Israelites.

If you read with attention our Saviour's Sermon on the Mount, you will perceive that there is no precept laid down, without a blessing annexed to the performance of it. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mer'cy." "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." And if the Israelites by the observance of their laws, were to be preserved from the diseases of their enemies the Egyptians, so may we under the same circumstances, look up with confidence to the great Physician of our souls, even Christ our Saviour, "who forgiveth all our iniquities, who healeth all our diseases."

VII.]

THE GOODNESS OF GOD.

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EXODUS. XVI.

THE goodness and long-suffering of the Almighty is no where more striking than in this portion of the Scriptures, while the ungrateful and rebellious disposition of the Israelites would fill us with astonishment, were we not told that "The carnal mind is enmity against God," "that man is by nature born in sin, and "the child of wrath,” prone to do evil, and naturally averse to that which is good. How else could we account for the conduct of the Israelites under circumstances which one might have supposed, would have called forth such very different feelings. A short time only had elapsed since they had in a signal manner experienced the mercy and goodness of God in listening to their cries, and relieving their distress, when we find them again pouring forth their complaints against Moses and Aaron because they were called upon to undergo a few privations, which must have been slight compared with the sufferings they had experienced in Egypt. "the Lord is full of compassion" towards His fallen creatures; "for he knoweth whereof we are made, he remem"bereth that we are but dust.' He did not even as before, wait to be entreated by Moses, but instantly supplied their wants with miraculous food from Heaven, and even ceased not to continue that supply during the forty years that elapsed before they entered into an inhabited land.

But

There is much in this Chapter worthy our consideration. As I mentioned to you before, the temporal circumstances of the Israelites were in many points figurative of the spiritual condition of the Christian Church. The passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea, and their subsequent abode in the wilderness, together with all the different circumstances and events which occurred during that period are all typical of the Christian's state here on earth; from the hour when by Baptism he has been admitted

aRomans viii. 7. Eph. ii. 3.

Psalm ciii. 8- d14.

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[CH.

within the pale of Christ's Church, to the day when he shall enter into his rest in the kingdom of God. Every sincere Christian knows the conflicts and trials he is daily called upon to sustain with his carnal nature, which must be subdued before he can fully enter into that rest which (St. Paul tells us) it is in the power of the true believer to obtain even in this world. We which have believed, do "enter into rest," and we all know that the only way to be freed from our spiritual enemies is to pray to God for the assistance of His holy Spirit, which is that spiritual food, that "bread of life," (John vi.48.)promised by our Saviour to all who believe in him. "I am the living bread which came down from Heaven: if any man eat of this bread, "he shall live for ever, and the bread that I will give is "my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.""

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In the trials and difficulties encountered by the Israelites in the desert and in the wilderness, there is a great similitude to the struggles of remaining sin in the heart of the Christian believer. "Through much tribulation we "must enter into the kingdom of Heaven,"and in reading this portion of Scripture, let us not forget, that it is only by constant and daily prayer to God, that we can hope to get free from these internal conflicts, or obtain our heavenly manna, which, as I said above, is promised to all true believers. "For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he "that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall "be opened."(Matt. vii. 8.)

The Israelites were now daily supplied with food; there was however one command attending it, which on no account they were to disregard: they were to leave none of it till the morning.

What a simple command, and how easy to be obeyed, is the first thought that strikes us; and like Moses we feel our indignation roused against the Israelites at their sinfulness in so soon transgressing it. But while we are so ready to blame others, let us take care that they may have no cause to reproach us for doing the same thing. After

"Heb. iv. 3.

dJohn vi. 51.

Acts xiv. 22.

VII.]

THE SABBATH COMMANDED.

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offering up our prayers to God for his assistance and support, and(perhaps with great sincerity at the time) confessing to him our faults and asking his forgiveness, are we not frequently guilty of a similar transgression in disobeying some simple command that has equally been given to us? and in so doing let us remember that we in our enlightened state, are far more worthy of condemnation than they were; "for unto whom much is given, of him shall "be much required."(Luke xii. 48.)

"And it came to pass, that on the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man : "and all the rulers of the congregation came and told "Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which "the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord."

It

This is the first mention made of the Sabbath day. is true we read in the second chapter of Genesis that " God "rested on the seventh day, and God blessed the seventh

day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested "from all his work," but there was no particular command given to man to keep it holy: hence some suppose it was now instituted for the first time: but there seems more reason to suppose the Jews had received some previous intimation on the subject, as Moses seems rather to allude to it as a fact with which they were already acquainted, than as if he were now for the first time establishing it as a law; speaking of it as that which the Lord had spoken of at some former period; "This is that which the Lord "hath said."

The Jews who were required to fulfil to the letter all the laws and ordinances imposed upon them, observed the Sabbath with the greatest strictness; which gave occasion to the Pharisees to find fault with our Saviour for allowing his disciples to pluck the ears of corn on the Sabbath, saying unto him," Why do they on the Sabbath day "that which is not lawful ?"

Their dull understandings were not sufficiently enlightened to comprehend the spiritual nature of the Christian

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religion, and that though their laws were still to remain in force, yet that they were henceforth to be obeyed in the spirit, and not according to the letter. Our Saviour tells them that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath" (Mark ii.27.): it was no longer to be kept with that strictness hitherto enjoined by their laws, but was now only to be regarded as a day of rest, set apart for the especial observance of Christian worship; but as this subject will fall more properly under consideration in treating of the fourth commandment, I shall reserve any further observations until then.

EXODUS XVIÍ.

If the event recorded in the last chapter was peculiarly typical of the spiritual condition of the Christian, so may we draw the same application in this, from the miracles performed by Moses, for the purpose of relieving for the second time the sufferings of the Israelites from the privation of water, which in that hot country must have been very great.

It seems a matter of surprise, after the signal miracles they had so lately witnessed, that they should still have persisted in murmuring against Moses, instead of offering up their prayers at once to that Gracious power who had shewn himself so ready to listen to their petitions, and relieve their wants; but in reflecting on the typical nature of the miracles themselves, we must not lose sight of that which affected Moses himself in his character of Mediator. You will remember I told you before, that he was a type of our Saviour, and the repeated mention of the murmurings of the Israelites, is intended to convey to us that it is only through the intercession of our Mediator that our prayers are rendered acceptable unto God.

"And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall "I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. "And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people "and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and the rod